Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Fiddleheads Continued

Still knitting, but very slowly! In between visiting my mother in the nursing home and spring work, there's not a lot of time left over. I really like this yarn--it's a good weight for a thicker winter sock and the self striping makes a nice pattern. It's a Patons Kroy sock yarn if anyone's interested.

But I have been percolating a new quilt idea and hope to get that drawn out and the fabric cut sometime soon. I hate to walk by the sewing room and see the pile of fabrics waiting, so my solution is to shut the door!

A couple of people asked me about fiddleheads after last week's post, so I thought I'd add a few more pictures. Today was the last pick and we're both feeling very sorry about that. There's something about that first taste of spring that can't be matched, but tomorrow we'll start on asparagus and that's a longer season. (and equally delicious)

As you can see, as they just poke up out of the ground they are tightly furled with a papery cover that can be rubbed off easily. (Or you can blow them with an air compressor and that works a treat!). As they grow they start to open out and get a sort of Day of the Triffids vibe about them.

They can grow a foot in a day, so it is quite remarkable to visit the spot every day to see the changes. As they are almost open, they look like any other fern, but are still covered in pollen which rubs off on everything as you walk through the patch.

So now I have to wait until next May to enjoy them.

In this area we also have miles and miles of apple orchards and vineyards. Right now the apples are in full bloom and are truly beautiful. I like to roll down the car window and smell them as I drive by, or just spend time watching the bees in the trees close to the house. It's amazing how many "wild" apple trees appear all over the countryside, just like the lilac bushes that seem to have no house in sight. You never know they're there the rest of the year until the deer (and the dog) start eating the apples.

I have a small crabapple tree on my regular walking route that is so lovely that I just have to stop a sniff at it. I love crabapple jelly and hope to get to the fruit before the various creatures do and make a batch this fall.

I am anxiously waiting for the rhubarb to grow a bit more and then I'll start to attack it. Last year I made rhubarb orange marmalade that was wonderful and I'm all out of it. Can't wait. Not to mention rhubarb coffee cake, rhubarb pie and so on and so on. I think I'm fixated on food!

3 comments:

Your vegetation is so much further ahead than ours! We are just enjoying our tulips now, in blossom for a week or so! I know, it's so hard to pass by the sewing room, it's my favorite area of the house! Hope you find time soon to start cutting.

Your selection of fabrics is very inviting.....hoping you will soon have your ideas sorted and time to create with these. The fern fronds/fiddleheads look fascinating, do you eat then raw? I remember reading somewhere about traditional Australian Aborigines eating fern fronds. I love the apple blossoms too.